Malalcahuello, Arias-Bohart, Elizabeth T., 2015

Arias-Bohart, Elizabeth T., 2015, Malalcahuelloocaresi gen. & sp. n. (Elateridae, Campyloxeninae), ZooKeys 508, pp. 1-13 : 2-4

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Elateridae

Malalcahuello gen. n.

Type species.

Malalcahuello ocaresi sp. n., here designated.

Etymology.

The generic name Malalcahuello (gender masculine) is derived from the type locality of origin of the genus, Malalcahuello, in southern Chile. The word Malalcahuello derives from Mapudungun language malal = barnyard and kahuellu horse ( Musigraf 2003).

Diagnosis.

This genus differs from all other elaterid genera by the following combination of characters: strongly serrate antennae from antennomere 3 onwards, antennomere 2 very small, length about 0.4 times as long as antennomere 3; pronotum 0.76-0.99 as long as wide, convex, without deep impressions basally, lacking bioluminescent organs; stout, and protruding posterior angles with apex truncate; mesocoxal distance about 0.16 times mesocoxal cavity; wing venation with R cell elongate 4.2 times its width and wedge cell length 4 times its maximum width.

Description.

Body about 3.27-3.87 times as long as wide; pronotal sides slightly sinuated, narrower than elytral sides. Elytral maximum width at posterior third; elytral apices softly rounded, not meeting at mid-line. Dorsal vestiture short, spare, fine, with some erect and decumbent short, well distributed hairs (Fig. 1).

Head slightly declined at base, transverse, ratio of median length to greatest postocular width 0.30-0.42. Eyes medium size, protuberant in both sexes, facetted, without interfacetal hairs. Supra-antennal ridges raised above, each antennal fossa with deep curved invagination between antennal insertion and eye; short (Fig. 5). Frontoclypeal region completely carinate, produced forward, not concealing clypeus; frontoclypeal carina rugulose; clypeus length about 4.8 times its width. Labrum elongate, sclerotized, sinuate basally.

Antennae in male surpassing posterior angles, antennomeres 3-10 strongly serrate, antennomere 11 elongate, longer than preceding ones; all antennomeres clothed with short, semi-decumbent goldish hairs and few erect, goldish long hairs. Female antennae shorter than male antennae (Fig. 2).

Prothorax subquadrate, sides slightly sinuated, carinate and emarginate, visible for their entire lengths from above; posterior angles stout, protruding, with apex truncate and produced posterolaterally embracing humeral area; posterior edge without scutellar notch; disc finely punctate, clothed with gold sinuated vestiture; prosternum strongly combed, with deep punctures; notosternal suture complete, strongly sinuated, open at anterior end, curved at posterior end; prosternum puncticulate, with semi-erect, sparce hairs; prosternal process slightly narrower near base, then gradually expanded posteriorly, following procoxae in lateral view, extending well behind procoxae. Hypomeron simple, depressed medially, with deep punctures. Procoxae subglobular (Fig. 17).

Scutellum not elevated, flat, anteriorly simple, posteriorly rounded, notched on the sides, all borders well defined, tongue-shaped. Elytra about 2.81-2.54 times as long at midline as greatest width and 4.43-5.02 times as long as pronotum; anterior edge carinate; humeri well developed; parallel-sided at anterior third, gradually enlarging towards posterior third, converging posteriorly, apices rounded, not meeting and central midline. Disc with 10 defined puncture rows.

Mesoventrite on same plane as metaventrite; mesocoxae projecting, mesocoxal cavities narrowly separated, open laterally to mesepisternum; mesocoxal distance 0.25 times mesocoxal diameter; mesosternal posterior region excavated and 0.23 times mesocoxal diameter length (Fig. 7); metacoxae obliquely oriented, with plates extending narrowing towards body side; posterior region of mesosternite length 0.35 times as mesocoxal diameter length.

Hind wing about 2.63-2.66 times as long as wide; apical field about 0.6 times as long as total wing length, with 2 pigmented oblique linear sclerites; radial cell well developed, elongate, length 4.1 times as long as wide, with inner posterobasal angle acute; cross-vein r3 long, length about 2.2 times length of radial cell, horizontal and arising away from r4, which is slightly straight and complete; base of RP very long, extending to wing base; R-M loop forming narrowly acute angle; medial spur arise and then straight; medial field with five free veins; MP3+4 branching in 2 long veins; wedge cell length about 2.8 times its width (Fig. 9).

Tarsomeres 1-3 elongate, tarsomere 4 smaller than precedents; pretarsal claws simple; empodium short, not extending between claws; tarsomeres 2, 3 and 4 lobate (Fig. 18).

Female genitalia: bursa copulatrix globular, space shuttle shape from above, one spherical thicker gold gland medially, sides of bursa with 2-3 spinules semi-curved (Figs 11, 12, 13).

Male genitalia: aedeagus symmetrical, phallobase broadly rounded; each paramere with a lateral hook at apex; median lobe attached to parameres both dorsally and ventrally (Fig. 22).

Distribution.

Southern Chile: provinces Ñuble and Malleco.